887BCE: Eathirilu and Davonisi patched up their differences and worked together to re-energize the dragon-allied Elves. While he and many others feared the war was already lost, they were not prepared to surrender just yet. With the new army formed, Eathirilu awaited the command of the dragons.

886BCE: The remaining dragon patriarchs gathered with their armies in Apollo’s Plains. The red dragons, Invernix and Sartoria; the green dragons, Cordax and Hashterainon; the gold dragons, Agohimano and Hontalawi; and the bronze dragon, Langudina. Rilopenaril the traitor did not join his brethren. Giants, Ogres, Humans, and Elves made up the dragons’ armies.
The draconic forces marched eastward and burnt everything as they went. No settlement, no person, no blade of grass escaped the wrath of the dragons. Directly in their path was the old seat of the Conclave, Phoenix. Continue reading →

Amalius Halkias is a controversial figure in the Second Alliance and a powerful psion proficient in telepathy, hypercognition, time manipulation, and elemental magic. His father, Amalganus, founded the Second Alliance, and Amalius followed his father’s footsteps to become a member of the Alliance Council. He was subsequently ostracized from the Alliance once it was discovered that he was an unwilling Xorian spy and the descendant of Amalgami, the same man who had betrayed the First Alliance and left it to ruin. Amalius managed to repair his reputation by striking a deal with Hades to resurrect thousands of Alliance soldiers, but his relationship with some of the other Alliance Council members is still rocky. Continue reading →

911BCE: Danar ruled justly for a decade. Rilopenaril and Langudina both advised him, but Danar always followed the advice of the bronze dragon brother. Langudina took to sulking within Apollo’s Hill as Rilopenaril had before her. After ruling as a good king for a time, Rilopenaril informed his descendant of the plan he had concocted with Shratalanda to end draconic tyranny over the land forever. Danar embraced the idea and began training the people of Sheerzen so that they would be ready for the coming war.

900BCE: The mortal led armies of Gorwinua, Amalgami, Toffoun, and Tentineh operated in the open, taking actions to counter the rule of the dragons. Tentineh called the heroes of the land together to organize the overthrow of the dragon hegemony. Gorwinua, Amalgami, Toffoun, and Tentineh gathered in Greshendale along with Danar, Jovy, Cecilia, Shratalanda, Tracy, and Bigby.
Shratalanda revealed the plan she had begun enacting nearly a century before. The dragons were divine creatures and could thus never be truly killed, but they could be imprisoned. What could bind a beast as powerful as a dragon though? Shratalanda suggested using the dragon’s magical powers against each other. Since the dragons ruled in pairs, the power of each could be turned against the other.
The group of heroes even had an ally among the dragons. Rilopenaril hated the evil rule his relatives had imposed upon the mortals of Cimmeria. He had been working with Shratalanda to steer events towards the Dragon War which now began. The ten heroes vowed to combine their forces and exploit the disunity of the dragons. Each of the pairs could be brought down and imprisoned one by one.

899BCE: The ten heroes struck quickly, imprisoning three pairs of dragon monarchs, white, black, and brass. Three powerful orbs were constructed to contain the dragons. One of each pair was locked within the orb while the other was bound to protect it from all who would seek to misuse or destroy it. Tikanile was imprisoned within the White Orb with Shivara set as his guard. Pithwatolzar was imprisoned within the Black Orb with Kovan’rorshac set as his guard. Hazorshrakan was imprisoned within the Brass Orb with Forsoman set as her guard. These orbs were dubbed the Orbs of Dragonkind.

898BCE: The dragons organized their defenses against the heroes and their armies. Mortals loyal to the dragons rose up to defend their masters. The flames of the Dragon War grew hot as battles raged all across Cimmeria.

927BCE: Danar didn’t know how to survive in the wild. He was taken in by a group of kind villagers. They accepted him into their community and he took up a woodcutter’s axe to protect them from the monsters that plagued them. Danar never publicly used magic, but he continued to practice his arcane skills in secret.

925BCE: Danar rose to become headman of his village. He organized the people of the swamplands into a militia, so they could deserve themselves and keep order while Danar was occupied elsewhere. The black dragon brothers, Kovan’rorshac and Pithwatolzar, permitted Danar’s actions as it indirectly benefited him. Wealthier citizens meant more tribute for the dragons.

924BCE: Danar’s civilization of the swamp encountered resistance when the Elven druid, Eathirilu, arrived in the area. Eathirilu viewed Danar’s efforts to expand farm lands and hunting grounds as antithetical to nature itself. He attacked and sabotaged many of the exiled prince’s projects. The two figures crossed paths numerous times, but neither could get the upper hand over the other.

923BCE: The red wyrm, Invernix, witnessed Danar’s charitable work in the swamplands. “Why had the black dragon monarchs done nothing?” thought Invernix. “Were they lazy and decadent or was this an alliance between bronze and black?” Invernix disliked the situation either way. He entered the swamplands and began burning settlements.

922BCE: Danar refused to engage, but not for lack of courage. Rather, Danar was concerned for the fate of his people should he die. They could be killed and broken by lesser threats without his protection. Danar hoped that Invernix would grow bored and return to the Terror Mountains.

921BCE: Invernix did not leave and Danar confronted the fact that he would have to face the dragon. Danar teamed up with his previous enemy, Eathirilu, to fight Invernix. Unfortunately, Invernix defeated the pair. The great red wyrm promised to leave the swamplands untouched if Danar returned to Sheerzen and claimed the throne. Invernix planned on using Danar as a pawn in Rilopenaril’s kingdom.
Danar visited the first village he had stayed at. Revealing his magic powers he told the villagers that he was returning to his birthright in Sheerzen. People from all over gathered together to say goodbye to their leader. The combined their varied talents and made Danar a superb axe of unequaled quality to replace the old woodcutter’s axe he had used for so many years.

920BCE: Danar returned to Sheerzen to challenge the throne. His parents had died and his brother, Einhart, had defeated the other four siblings. Prince Einhart’s coronation was imminent. The people of Sheerzen protested Danar’s return, saying that his exile made his claim illegitimate. Ignoring the voices of the crowd, Einhart accepted Danar’s challenge. The two dueled in the vast, open, central elevator of Sheerzen. Danar’s axe brought him victory, but his brother shot out Danar’s right eye with an electricity spell.
Danar was coronated in his brother’s place. At the ceremony an elder earth elemental, Rhinston, attended. The elemental gave Danar a magical gem that could take the place of an eye. The gem fit perfectly in his eye socket. Danar chose to keep the eye hidden behind a patch. It was said that when Danar revealed his gem eye he could see to the truth of all things.

1042BCE: Numerous clerics and magicians studied the intricacies of Hades’s Resurrection Pact with the mortals of Cimmeria. These necromantic scholars formed an enclave for research beneath the Terror Mountains in the north between the Jenarild River and the Curving Stream. This settlement came to be known as Crux.

1035BCE: Seeking to gain more power to assault Colchis with, Hades sent an emissary to Crux. His messenger took the form of a three-headed bodak called the Antenator. The creature gave the people of Crux a set of standard practices for bringing the dead back to life and controlling them, either with their souls or as soulless husks to do the bidding of their necromancer master.

1034BCE: The Antenator created the Silver Tower at the center of Crux and took up residence there. His persisting influence emanated from the Tower keeping the numerous undead of the city easily controlled by the city’s living residents. While the Antenator occasionally addressed the people of Crux, approaching him was now impossible. Entrance into the Tower required passing a series of insurmountable trials.
At the same time that the Silver Tower rose, Vecna, the powerful lich, arrived in Crux. She set up her alchemy and spell shop at the Tower’s base and began her own research on death magic.

1030BCE: The Conclave setup a trading post with the Elves of Valor Forest. The post grew to become the town of Shalemstead.

1011BCE: A prominent Human leader of the Conclave, Tisaphernes, was murdered by an Orc slave of his. Anti-Orc sentiment increased among the Humans in the Conclave.
A solar eclipse occurred and Hades attacked Colchis once again. Aeëtes inscribed explosive glyphs throughout the city that would only activate when one of Hades’s creatures passed by. These glyphs, along with a well-trained corps of archers, ended the threat during the solar eclipse.

1000BCE: After multiple raids into the Orcish settlements, the Humans of the Conclave organized a large scale expedition. The Halflings refused to participate. The split thwarted the expedition before it could reach the Orcish lands in the east due to a poorly maintained supply chain. The Humans returned in humiliation.

976BCE: Sadroston died at an advanced age. Thousands mourned the great hero’s passing. Sadroston’s descendants would carry on their forebear’s legacy. Others rejoiced in silence and began to plot.

975BCE: The dragons of Cimmeria attended the Draconic Convocation. The direct descendants of Echidna and Typhon were present. The red dragon couple, Invernix and Sartoria. The blue dragon couple, Bavastatner and Renvesharhialisv. The black dragon brothers, Kovan’rorshac and Pithwatolzar. The green dragon sisters, Cordax and Hashterainon. The white dragon couple, Shivara and Tikanile. The gold dragon siblings, Agohimano and Hontalawi. The silver dragon twins, Jimarohzaj and Falron. The bronze dragon twins, Rilopenaril and Langudina. The brass dragons, Hazorshrakan and her father Forsoman. The copper dragons, Thaitonzao and his mother Blathorwa. All were present.
The dragons agreed to conquer all of Cimmeria and split the provinces of the realm among themselves. They were the strongest beings in the Olympians’ new creation. Why not take control? Each pair of dragons would rule a region of Cimmeria and could do what they saw fit with the land and people of that region. The dragons took wing and set about subjugating the different people of Cimmeria.

973BCE: Within two years the dragons subjugated all mortals of Cimmeria. Red Invernix and Sartoria took the Northern Terror Mountains around Horror Peak. Blue Bavastatner and Renvesharhialisv took the Shacklack Desert. Black Kovan’rorshac and Pithwatolzar took the land that would eventually be called Danar’s Swamp. Green Cordax and Hashterainon took the Dry Woods that would eventually be called Bigby’s Forest. White Shivara and Tikanile took the Western Terror Mountains around Doom Peak. Gold Agohimano and Hontalawi took the Caspian Coast. Silver Jimarohzaj and Falron took the Eastern Terror Mountains around Fear Peak. Bronze Rilopenaril and Langudina took Apollo’s Plains. Brass Hazorshrakan and Forsoman took the Orc Lands in the east. Copper Thaitonzao and Blathorwa took all the lands between the Black River and the Great Divide.
The Olympians sat and did nothing to help their mortal subjects. The new turn of events amused them. They watched, curious what would happen next to this new world of dragons and mortals.

970BCE: The dragons declared a new set of laws in effect throughout Cimmeria. These laws set up dragons and their progeny as the aristocracy of the land with all others being second-class citizens. Additionally, the new laws forbade mortals from forming large armed groups without approval from their dragon lord. During their initial conquest the dragons had learned to respect the threat an army posed. They sought to prevent any such danger from arising ever again.

Another PC coming at you! This character is played by my friend who goes by Middle_Snu on the Internet. We worked together on writing his backstory so he deserves equal credit for what you see here.

Hektor Rackgard is a powerful wizard and a key figure in the Alliace and the Exiles that split off from the Alliance, secretly maintaining a place in both groups for a time. Hektor’s magical expertise lies in summoning, shapeshifting, scrying, and quick elimination of foes through a number of offensive but not necessarily lethal means.

Hektor Rackgard was born to a minor noble of the small Aractrashan town, Lakatia. His father wished Continue reading →

My friend, Zigfried, chose a character that already existed in Cimmeria’s history as his PC. I gave him a lot of leeway to design the character how he wanted and Zigfried ended up shaping the history of Cimmeria in a big way through his choices. He wrote the backstory for his character, Danar, which is presented here. I have edited it, but this is primarily Zigfried’s work. As such this post is written in a different style than my own.

Additionally, Danar’s history is still a work in progress. I will return to this to edit existing information and add more events in Danar’s life at a later time.

The Nameless Childhood

Danar was born into a hatch of six brothers and sisters, himself included. This hatch was the 10th royal-blooded generation spawned from the mating of the bronze dragon, Rilopenarol and his human mate, Izalith. From birth, each child of Rilopenarol’s blood was destined to have a brutal upbringing on account of Sheerzen’s laws of royal succession.

For the 10 generations prior, the throne of Sheerzen had been decided by natural selection: every child with a claim to the throne was made to compete in a fraternal contest of might and deception. Only one child could live to assume the throne of Sheerzen, the rest must die. Traditionally, the royal family’s worth was decided through magical duels to the death. A dangerous future loomed before Danar, as he was considered in court to be the “runt” of the litter in terms of magical aptitude.

Danar’s difficulties in harnessing his magical abilities were further compounded by his compassionate spirit. He could not bear the idea of bringing pain to his brothers and sisters during their sparring sessions. Filled with despair, he went to the grand dragon Rilopenarol, who showed compassion to all of his broodlings, and asked for his wisdom. Rilopenarol heard his pleas and said “Henceforth, you are exiled from the city of Sheerzen. Cast aside your surname and flee now.”

The words were harsh, but the tone and meaning were not. Danar understood what it was that he must do. It was forbidden for any broodling to leave Sheerzen before an heir had been decided, so that night Danar fought through a number of guards as he escaped the city and the contest for the
throne. He fled deep into the wilderness until hunger, exhaustion, and his wounds began to overtake him.

Deep in the marshlands east of Sheerzen, Danar saw the flickering lights of a small village. Danar called out to the villagers as he approached and collapsed as several men ran over to meet the wounded young man.

The Rise of Danar

Danar was nursed back to health by the village that had taken him in, and he soon realized that this humble settlement was plagued by all manner of monstrous beasts. Sympathetic to their plight Danar steeled his will and made a resolution: he would protect these people that had saved him or die trying. He borrowed the largest axe he could find from one of the village’s woodcutters and sat himself in a pose of meditation at the center of the town.

That night a black dire wolf approached. The villagers of the town quickly fled into their homes leaving only Danar outside, waiting in the firelight at the center of town. The wolf lunged at him with intent to kill! Danar dodged and struck it down with a furious and desperate assault from his axe. The villagers emerged from their houses as the wolf howled its death throes. Seeing Danar there, standing over the dead beast, they felt truly safe.

In the years that followed Danar became masterful at slaying dangerous creatures with only an axe and martial prowess. Those that saw him were inspired by his strength and courage and in turn Danar was thankful for the humble people that supported his newfound livelihood. Danar began to teach the other men of the village how to fight and soon enough, he had grown a stable troop of warriors brave and strong enough to easily defend their homes.

Although it was only a small militia, in Danar’s eyes they were greater than any king’s army. He began to lead his men on expeditions to tame the surrounding marshlands and begin more settlements. Danar showed his people what they were capable of by doing it himself first. He never asked a follower to undertake a task that he himself was unwilling to perform. In this way the small village began to thrive and grow.

Invernix Cometh

Stories of Danar the Beastslayer and Hero of Men spread far and wide. His brothers and sisters heard of him in Sheerzen, but cared little. Danar was the runaway that had cast off his responsibility to fight and struggle for the throne. Officially he had been exiled and his existence was no longer of concern of the royal court. But the tales of Danar the Beastslayer and the prosperity of his growing federation of villages reached further to other, more sinister ears.

Invernix, the great red dragon and infernal wyrm, heard of the broodling of Rilopenarol who had arrogantly cast aside his draconic heritage to gallivant with men among the swamps. Enraged by the thought of a mere dragonkin believing himself to be greater than his draconic bloodline, Invernix took wing and flew to Danar’s Marshlands. For weeks Invernix burned out settlement after settlement among the riverlands in order to force Danar into confronting him.

Danar hesitated to confront Invernix directly. Not for fear of his own life, but for fear of what would become of his people should he fail and allow Invernix to destroy him. He spent this time evacuating his people safely and trying to devise some means by which to defeat the great red dragon. His hand was forced, however when a brave young elf approached him with a plan to confront Invernix.

Danar had met the elf named Eathirilu before. Eathirilu was a druid, a priest and defender of the wilds. Eathirilu wished to halt the spread of civilization into the unspoiled marshlands which hmade him an enemy of Danar’s in the past. He had been causing issues with Danar’s settlements by destroying dams and foiling the attempts of hunting parties. Despite this, the intrinsic value of human life still held a place in Eathirilu’s heart. Invernix’s wanton destruction was far worse than the slow encroachment of civilization. Eathirilu sought the only one strong enough to standup to Invernix, his previous enemy Danar.

Danar and Eathirilu battled Invernix for hours, surviving by the skin of their teeth by using the dense cover of the marshlands to their advantage. Invernix rained down hellfire and would dive only to find his prey had eluded him. Each time he became more and more enraged by the insolence of the mortals. Inevitably, the brave duo succumbed to Invernix’s power. The young druid was unconscious and on the edge of death and Danar found himself pinned beneath Invernix’s massive foreclaw. It was then that Danar made a final desperate plea to Invernix. He shouted that he would do anything the dragon wished, but spare the elf and his people. Invernix was pleased.

Invernix made Danar a solitary offer. Return to Sheerzen and take the throne with extreme prejudice. Should Danar fail to become king of Sheerzen, Invernix promised that he would hunt down every construct of man west of Sheerzen and raze them to the ground. At this time, a small group of Danar’s men charged Invernix hoping to free their endangered champion. Invernix quickly smote them to ash and a large swath of greenery with them to punctuate his conditions.

Danar’s heart sunk as he watched the men die. He steeled himself and agreed to the great dragon’s terms. With his pride satisfied, Invernix moved his claw from Danar and departed as swiftly as he had descended on the marshlands. Danar pulled himself up. Seeing the spirits of nature approaching to care for Eathirilu, Danar left the elven druid and trudged his way back to his village to lick his wounds…

Ascent to the Throne

Danar healed quickly and began to make plans for the return to his city of birth. He had always attempted to fight and lead without the use of his magical potential, but still practiced it all these years, combining his magical talents with his martial abilities in secret. Danar instructed his best blacksmiths to forge a new weapon of his design. This axe was not merely a large implement to behead creatures. No, this time he had his men make a truly elegant weapon of masterful design.

Danar told his people that he needed to seek protection for their settlement from the grand city of Sheerzen, and to know that they were always in his heart. And thus, the hero left the people he had saved to confront his past.

There was a great uproar when Danar showed up at the court of Sheerzen. All were outraged at the audacity of returning to claim what he had cast aside, whilst his siblings had been battling their entire lives for the throne. Furthermore, the heir of Sheerzen had all but been decided already. Danar’s eldest brother, Einhart, had proven himself to be the strongest and most gifted and all of their other siblings had undergone voluntary sterilization rather than be executed. Danar challenged Einhart to mortal combat to be held the next day. The court hissed, saying that Danar no longer had the necessary standing, but Einhart ignored them. The heir apparent confidently accepted the duel with the prodigal son, eager for any chance to further prove his right to the throne.

The two brothers fought the next day in the central elevator for all of Sheerzen to see. Einhart was a truly gifted sorcerer, but Danar had spent years facing overwhelming odds and teaching others how to accomplish the same. He would not be defeated. He cleaved his eldest brother in twain, but not before losing his right eye to a bolt of energy. Danar proved himself the true heir of Sheerzen and no other would challenge his claim to the throne after that day…

Danar, King of Dragonkin

Danar’s coronation was a momentous occasion for the city. The nobles hailed him as a prodigy tempered by the wilds, returned to restore order to the city. Danar was disgusted by the insincerity of the court he now presided over; however, he was overjoyed to be welcomed back by his ancestor Rilopenarol, who seemed truly unsurprised by the events as they unfolded.

Days after Danar’s coronation, an elder earth elemental named Rhinston arrived bearing a gift from the king of earth elementals. It was the fossilized gem eye of one of Rilopenarol’s own ancestors. The eye of an ancient dragon in crystal orb form, magically resized with the intention of serving as Danar’s replacement for the grievous injury he had suffered. The orb looked much like a living draconic eye and glowed with a pale green magical aura. Danar accepted the gift and allowed the earth elemental to place it in his gaping socket. All surviving portraits of Danar display him after this day, wearing an eyepatch of royal status over his crystallized draconic eye.

And so Danar was king of Sheerzen, but in his heart he was biding time. His hate for Invernix and the tyranny he had suffered festered, and Danar dreamt of the day that he could truly ensure that his people were safe. He honed his skills as a warrior, and developed his potential for magic much further than any would have thought possible for the “runt” of his hatch. Under Danar’s wise rule, Sheerzen prospered and the king cared greatly for his people regardless of their dogma for draconic superiority.

The people of swamp, however, forsook his name. They believed their savior had abandoned them for the glory of the throne. They no longer saw him as the hero that had led them to survive and later thrive when it seemed impossible. Eventually, without Danar’s immediate protection, the people of the swamp lands drifted away from the Fingers, leaving it the uninhabited waste that it is today.